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Truth or Fiction: Men as Victims of Domestic Violence?
Author(s) -
James Kerrie
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of family therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.297
H-Index - 19
eISSN - 1467-8438
pISSN - 0814-723X
DOI - 10.1002/j.1467-8438.1996.tb01087.x
Subject(s) - domestic violence , psychology , criminology , social psychology , project commissioning , abusive relationship , suicide prevention , poison control , publishing , political science , medicine , law , medical emergency
Recently, claims have been made that womens's violence towards their male partners is a hidden and unacknowledged form of domestic violence. This paper critically examines this claim, arguing that studies that compare men's and women's violence, while showing a similar frequency of violent acts perpetrated by both men and women, also reveal significant differences. A man's violence is more serious in its effects, can employ a wider range of violence tactics and emanates from a more dominant and powerful position in relation to his female partner. A woman's violence, on the other hand, is often in self defence or is an expression of frustration and stress. In contrast to men's violence, women's violence is not usually an attempt to control or dominate their partners. The implications for practice are discussed and therapists are encouraged to differentiate between women who are violent towards an abusive partner versus those whose partners are not abusive.